NHL 2005 – GC – Review

It’s come down to two
hockey franchises this year: Sega’s familiar ESPN game and EA Sports
NHL game.  Both offer fans modes aplenty and enough innovative new control
options that just serve to improve the gameplay.  Yet there’s clearly a winner
in this competition and the gold goes to ESPN NHL 2K5 for its wide
assortment of unlockable extras and wonderfully balanced gameplay and intuitive
opponent AI.  Still GameCube fans missing out on Sega’s hockey game shouldn’t
feel left out because NHL 2005 is a hockey game that’s good enough to
sink your teeth into and enjoy.  That’s right, this year’s game sees more
improvement that only make this one all the more better than last year‘s game.

Last year’s Dynasty Mode
came close to perfection with its variety of fresh new features–the best being
the fact that you play as the General Manager and negotiate contracts like the
big boys–but in the 2005 game the mode acquires the little details seen in the
Sega NHL game like the snazzy communiqués via a PDA.  The emails you get point
to the latest news concerning contracts, free agents and all the current seasons
rumors and gossip.  As General Manager, it’s your job to keep abreast of
everything that occurs around you and your team.  Your ever watchful eye
tracking your player’s morale (some players get frustrated that they don’t get
enough time on the ice) as well as the budget–although trust me when I say that
you’ll spend the game balancing your team’s every finances. 

With a deeper Dynasty
Mode, the game also includes the more familiar modes of playing like Exhibition
and Season but now includes a World Cup of Hockey mode that pits your favorite
team against international teams (Russian, Sweden, etc.) as you play for the
cup.  There’s even an Elite League’s mode that let’s you play an entire season
as one of the three major European leagues (Germany’s DEL leagues, Finland’s SM-Liiga
leagues and Sweden’s Elitserien leagues).  My favorite new mode is EA Sports
Free4All, a multiplayer game that has up to four players hit the ice to go up
against each another in a battle to make a goal against a single net and
goalkeeper.  Free4All is all arcade party game that doesn’t take itself
serious–hence the real-life players with tiny bodies and huge blimp-sized
heads.

The game’s controls are
once again the type that gamers can quickly pick-up-and-play . . . making this
game arcade-styled fun with a healthy dose of true NHL simulation.  You’ll know
how to deke and execute wrist shots and saucer passes with the best of them and
this is what makes the game so much fun to play . . . it’s perfect controls.
You’ll even get the hang of taking advantage of the new Open Ice Control and
Open Ice Support features that allow you to call for a pass or even call for a
double-team.  Your days of shouting “What are you doing? I’m over here . . .
pass it over here!” at your television screen are over.  All of this, though,
makes for a very responsive and addictive hockey game so it’s the perfect game
to introduce gamers new to the sport.

While the controls are
great, the fact that the opponent AI is a lot smarter and far less likely to
drop their defense so severely as last year’s NHL 2004 is something to
cheer about.  The computer-controlled opponents are fast and great at attempting
to up their game defensively as well as offensively so dropping your guard in
this game means giving the opposing team a chance to really score.  You’ll know
how smart they are during face-offs, which is one of the reasons there’s a new
feature, the Face-Off Playbook.  It basically allows you to come up with
different face-off strategies if the one you’re using just doesn’t work against
your rivals.

Okay, so we covered the
good parts.  Where NHL 2005 does miss its mark is the need to present a
more aggressive game than a strategy-based one.  You’ll find yourself the
recipient of more aggressive body checks than skillful poke checks.  This in
turns means you have to up the brutal checks yourself so if you want to compete
with the likes of Calgary you have to slam a few players against the boards.
You’ll also find it far easier to get into fights.  The option to drop the
gloves and send knuckle sandwiches to the player that upset you out on the ice
comes up so often (pressing the L and R buttons is all it takes to start
brawling) that you’ll wonder if the NHL is composed of prison inmates.
Hopefully next year’s game will tone down the aggression just a tad and bring
back more skills.

NHL 2005
also sees some improvements with its visual
presentation.  It’s nowhere as near as flashy and as presentable as ESPN NHL
2K5 is and it seriously lacks the televised presentation that even Madden
NFL 2005 possesses.  It’s still a very visually pleasing game thanks to the
player’s faces that are far more expressive and neatly rendered.  Players like
Fedorov, for instance, are instantly recognizable right off the bat.  The arenas
are also a lot nicer to look at and the fans wearing their favorite team jerseys
is still a very nice touch.  Great animation too.

The game’s arena sounds
will blow you away with its decent amount of audio detail that just makes it
seem as if you were right there with the fans that boo at their visiting team
and cheer their team on with loud chants.  Of course, the PA announcer chimes in
to announce lineup changes and tell you that you can buy tickets to a concert
that the arena will host.  These things certainly make a much better impact than
the two-man commentary that is good but could have been a lot better.  As for
the tunes, they might not be everyone’s cup of tea.  This year’s EA Sports TRAX
are limited to just a very small collection of bands that range from Faith No
More to personal favorite Franz Ferdinand. 

Once again, EA Sports
manages to present an even better version of their much-loved NHL franchise. 
NHL 2005 for the GameCube hard-hitting hockey game fans will love.  While it
still needs better presentation and gameplay that covers all the little extras,
you’ll find it hard to put down that controller once you start playing this
one.  This year’s game is great for those who want to introduce the sport to new
fans or find a more interesting challenge.  

#Review Scoring Details for NHL 2005

Gameplay: 7.9
While not straying from it
simulation roots, NHL 2005 has a pleasant arcade feel that makes this the
type of game you can simply pick up a controller and just start playing.   Dekes,
slapshots and body checks feel and so does the new Open Ice Control and Open Ice
Support (that lets you call for a double-team).  Still, there’s more emphasis on
playing aggressively than playing skillfully so it ignores the little tricks
that make the sport so cool in the first place.

Graphics: 8.2
The visual upgrades are noticeable,
especially when it comes to facial expressions and the fluid animation that
makes this an attractive game on the GameCube.  The arenas are also looking a
lot better this time around and the sight of the fans wearing their favorite
team’s jersey just doesn’t fail to put a smile on my face.

Sound: 8.0
EA Sports games are usually chock
full of tunes so it’s surprising that this year’s game the play list is just a
tad lacking in this department.  The tunes that are available, though, are
really good if you’re into Franz Ferdinand or Soundtrack of Our Lives.  The
play-by-play and color commentary are good but we’ve heard better.  It’s the
ambient sound that really rocks with arenas exploding with fans, PA system
announcements and music and the sound of pucks being slammed.  Overall, it’s
great stuff.

Difficulty: Medium
A more challenging opponent AI that
can offer tighter defenses and really makes you sweat when it comes to offensive
play?  Bring it on! In fact, NHL 2005 does bring it on so say bye-bye to
last year’s unusual scoring (15-1 in a Devils versus Red Wings game?)
discrepancy.  The computer-controlled AI will definitely keep you on your toes
this year.

Concept: 8.0
Feel the thrill of calling for
passes and shots.  Cheer at the incredibly addictive EA Sports Free4All
multiplayer mode.  Smile at the improved Dynasty Mode and tighter defensive
plays your opponents bring to the game.  Cry at the lack of unlockable extras
that other EA Sports games like Madden NFL 2005 have in spades.

Multiplayer: 8.5
It’s never a dull moment when you
play against a friend and because of it’s easy-to-get-into controls and the
ability to play this one with up to four players simultaneously, it’s all about
the hard-hitting plays.  The World Cup of Hockey and Free4All modes just feel
all the more better when you’re playing them with a group of friends.  This one
has Party Game written all over it.

Overall: 8.4
Add silky smooth animations and an
addictive pick-up-and-play gameplay style and you end up with NHL 2005.
While the recent ESPN NHL 2K5 clearly has the advantage (and great price
tag) over this game, EA Sports gives hockey fanatics and GameCube gamers a
hockey game that’s well worth the price of admission.